Putin's TV Airs Map of Russia Within Reach of Ukraine's New Weapons

A Russian state TV presenter aired a map of Russia showing areas that she said Ukraine could potentially strike using Western-supplied weapons.

It comes after the Biden administration last week said it moved at "lightning speed" to allow Ukraine to use some weapons to strike certain targets inside Russia. Kyiv may use the weapons in Russian territory bordering northeast Ukraine for the purpose of defending its Kharkiv region, but the use of long-range missiles such as ATACMS is still prohibited on Russian soil, a U.S. official told Newsweek.

Many of Ukraine's other NATO allies have now given Kyiv the green light to use their weapons on Russian territory.

During a broadcast of the Russia-1 program 60 Minutes on Monday, propagandist Olga Skabeyeva reacted to the developments by showing a map of regions which she said could be potentially affected by weapons supplied to Ukraine.

It included ATACMS, although the U.S. has prohibited their use inside Russia. It also mentions the AGM-88 HARM, a tactical, air-to-surface anti-radiation missile; the U.S.-made Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) with a 100-mile range; the long-range air-launched Scalp/Storm Shadow cruise missiles; and kamikaze drones.

The U.K. and France provide Ukraine with Storm Shadows, and haven't explicitly restricted their use on Russian soil.

"The radius of targets that can now be hit with the help of HIMARS [High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems] looks like this," said Skabeyeva.

The map highlighted regions along the Ukraine-Russia border, including Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk and Smolensk, as areas which may come under attack, as well as targets deeper inside Russia, such as the Ryazan, Tambov and Saratov regions. It said targets up to 1,000 kilometers from the border with Ukraine are at risk of coming under fire.

"The winner in this game is whoever has the greatest ability to raise the stakes," she said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned last week that NATO countries, "especially the ones based in Europe, particularly in small European countries, should be fully aware of what is at stake" by permitting Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western weapons.

"They should keep in mind that theirs are small and densely populated countries, which is a factor to reckon with before they start talking about striking deep into Russian territory," he said. "This constant escalation can lead to serious consequences."

"It is another step toward a serious conflict in Europe, toward a global conflict," the Russian leader added.

Russian military expert Yuri Fedorov told independent Russian news outlet Meduza on May 29 that Moscow is attempting to warn the West that changes in policy regarding Ukraine's use of their weapons will trigger escalation in the conflict.

"But this raises the question: what is this level of escalation that Russia can reach? Russia is already using almost everything that can be used against Ukraine, except for the use of nuclear weapons," said Fedorov.

"The Russians [for example] can strike and threaten attacks on the government quarter in Kyiv, where the main embassies of Western countries are located, among other things," he added. "This will jeopardize the safety of diplomats, which will be perceived painfully in public opinion and in political circles of Western states. But that's all. I can't imagine what else Russia could use."

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